Must Be Love
by moriartyswife
Summary: Being a Kira is hard. There's the image I have to live up: being practically perfect and be useful to the Kira name. There's my six older brothers who each look out for me in their own way, but always pick on me. And there's a boy. Alan Mason. Longtime family friend, sweet, attractive as hell. If only I could make him notice me as more than the little Kira sister...
1. Chapter 1

This is so hard. Why is school so difficult for me? Minami is a genius! Chiaki, Toma, and Rei are right up there with him. It doesn't seem like they have to try very hard to do anything! Mei isn't here. Shizuka won't be back till late from his photo shoot. Sighing heavily, I gathered my school book and notes. I'm the idiot of the Kira family it seems. I make good grades, because I'd get in so much trouble if I didn't, but it takes hours of studying and cramming for me to understand the material.

Thankfully, no one was in the hallway to comment on my appearance. I hadn't bothered to change out of my sweatpants and tank top, or put on any kind of make up today. Not exactly what the Kira image is all about. Knocking on the door, I shifted my weight to one leg impatiently. The door swung open suddenly. "Are you busy?" I asked, giving him a pitiful look.

Chiaki's eyes dropped to the math book in my hand for a moment before he met my gaze. With a sigh, he smiled and pulled the door open further. "I can take a break to help you study, Kaede."

Hugging my book to my chest, I couldn't help but grin. "Good, cause I wasn't going to leave even if you said no."

He made me sit at the table in his kitchen, pulling up a chair next to me. The best thing about getting help from Chiaki was that he didn't press me for a quick answer. He explained things slowly and helped me figure out where I'd gone wrong. Sometimes Toma would get annoyed with how long it took for me to understand what he considered to be simple mathematics. Both of us looked up when the door opened.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a girl said. She was one of the concierges here… right? She's been assigned to working the sweet room and our wing of the hotel recently. "I apologize for interrupting." In her hands was some dry cleaning.

"Try this one, Kaede. I'll be right back," Chiaki ruffled my hair and stood to go speak with her. The two disappeared into the master bedroom, where I couldn't hear what they were talking about.

Tapping my pencil on the paper, I chewed on my lip. Take the equation one step at a time. I get too overwhelmed with the size of the question. The minutes seemed to tick by slowly as I tried to work out the answer to this question. Checking the math twice, I circled the answer.

"I told you that you'd get the hang of it," Chiaki said, leaning over me to see how I'd done.

"Wait, it's right?" I asked, hoping that he wasn't teasing me.

He nodded. "Yes, you've done well."

I grinned, happy to have his approval. The concierge lingered in the room, making me uncomfortable. "Should I go?" Why is she staring at me like that? Don't tell me she's already fallen for my brother. She's only gotten up to this floor a week ago.

Chiaki shrugged his shoulders. "I have some more work to do, but you can stay if you want to study here more." Obviously, he wanted me to leave.

I shut my book, stretching my arms above my head. "Nah, I'm kind of hungry anyways. I might go out to take my own break," I said. A greasy burger and fries sounded really good right about now. Cooking had never been my strong suit so the kitchen in my own suite didn't get much use except for reheating. "Thanks for helping me. I might make it to graduation after all," I joked.

Chiaki rolled his eyes but smiled. "Don't sell yourself short." He didn't elaborate. That was a first. Usually, they all joked along with me about my being hopeless in school.

Changing into a blue summer dress, I took my time getting dressed to go out. It shouldn't be this difficult to get ready to go out to a burger joint, but I had to fit the Kira image. Though, since I'm underage, the media had restrictions about following me around. I'd managed to stay out of the spotlight so far. Once presentable, I grabbed my purse, making sure my wallet was inside, and then headed for the elevator. The private elevator was nice.

On the fourth floor, the elevator slid to a stop, opening its doors. "Kaede? Heading out?" Alan asked, stepping inside.

My heart rate sped up at the sight of him. He was a family friend, Alan Mason. A gorgeous human being. Nodding, I replied, "Taking a break from studying to get some food." My voice sounded a little robotic. Since I'd met him, I'd had crush on him.

Alan smiled before saying. "Would you mind some company? I was just heading out to eat myself."

Autopilot took over and I agreed. Alan had never acted like he knew that I liked him. He treated me the same as always. Complimenting me about my appearance. Never making the fact that I was a Kira a big deal. My brothers all said he thought of me as a sister.

We walked down the street to a restaurant that served my favorite burger. Things never changed between the two of us. He told me all about his business, and asked me about school. It felt natural, sitting in a booth laughing with this man. I could do it all the time…

The moment dissolved when someone sat down beside me on the bench, picking up a fry off my plate. "Well, well, making a move on my little sister, Alan?" Minami asked, laughing like the idea was absurd. "She is underage, remember?"

"Yes, I remember how old she is. We were just discussing her graduation," Alan said. He blew off answering Minami's question. It didn't faze him. Of course, he doesn't think of me like that. His charming smile warmed my heart.

It didn't stop my cheeks from burning from embarrassment. Minami was watching me out of the corner of his eye, a sly grin on his face. He's such a child sometimes! "Why are you here?" I asked, angry at him now. He's going to ruin this! He always takes things too far.

"Don't be so hostile, Kae-Kae! Can't your big brother stay for dinner with his favorite little sister?" Minami faked being hurt by my comment. He turned his attention back on Alan. "I heard you're going to be opening a new line, soon right?"

Alan almost choked on his fry, but nodded. "Yes, but I think now is hardly the time to be discussing it." It was no secret that he ran a lingerie line, but never had anyone brought it up so casually with me around.

"Hey, Kaede here is almost eighteen. You could hire her on as a model next year," Minami said, making sure to keep an eye on my reactions. He loved to make me embarrassed.

Trapped in the booth, I dropped my gaze down to my food, completely mortified. Me? A lingerie model? My cheeks grew hot just thinking about being in my underwear in front of Alan. It was killing me to sit here and listen to Minami talk about it. "I should get back to studying. Finals are in a few weeks," I said, pushing my barely eaten food away from me. "Move, Minami."

Let me out!

"But I just got here," he whined.

I shoved him hard. "Move! I want out!" My voice rose louder than I had intended, drawing unwanted attention. The second he got up, I climbed out of the booth and headed for the door without another word. It took all my strength not to run out of the building.

Once outside and around the corner, I sprinted back toward the hotel. By the time I reached the elevator, I was out of breath. The doors started to slide close, but were stopped by someone pressing the up button. Pulling my bangs down to cover my eyes as I adverted my gaze, I held my breath.

"Reschedule that appointment. I have another shoot that day," Shizuka said, hanging up the phone. He paused, staring right at me. "Something wrong, Kaede? You're fidgeting over there in the corner."

"Just stressed about school. No big deal." I replied softly.

Shizuka pressed the button for our floor. "Oh really? So stressed that you're crying?"

The carpeted elevator had drops on the floor. Alarmed, I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand. "Yep. Just stress." I forced myself to smile at him. I can't tell anyone about what happened. If they see I'm upset by it, they might figure out that I like Alan. It's already horrible with Minami knowing. "I have to check on Rachmaninoff," I blurted out as we both stepped off the elevator

"Kae, Mei is already—" Shizuka started.

Still having the spare key to Mei's suite, I retreated inside. He's been away on tour and I got to take care of his dog. She greeted me at the door, wagging her tail. "You'll keep my secret, won't you?" I asked, sitting on the floor by the couch to pet her. She laid her head in my lap.

The familiar click of the door surprised me. Mei walked in, confused by my presence on his floor. Before he could question me, Minami's voice came loudly from the hallway. "Mei-Mei! Have you seen Kaede anywhere? She isn't in her room."

I shook my head with wide eyes, silently pleading: Please don't tell him I'm here! The panic must have shown.

"No, I haven't seen her. I need to practice." Mei shut the door before Minami could worm his way into the suite. Rachmaninoff trotted over to him, uninterested in me anymore. Mei scratched her head. "Why are you hiding from Minami?"

"Because he's an asshole," I muttered, leaning back against the couch. Hugging my knees to my chest, I laid my forehead against them. "Can I hide out here for a while? I promise I'll be quiet." He'd just returned from tour, but there were events coming up that he'd want to practice for. Mei was amazing at playing the piano. I loved to listen to him play.

Mei didn't respond, simply walking over to the large piano and sitting down on the bench. After a few moments of silence, piano music filled the air. This wasn't a piece that he would perform. It was too simple and sounded like a lullaby. He used to play it for me a lot when I was younger. It made me feel warm inside, and just for a moment, I forgot about all my problems. My eyes slid closed and I fell asleep to the soft music.


	2. Chapter 2

The room was almost pitch black when I woke up, save for a lamp being on somewhere behind the couch. I wasn't on the floor anymore, instead, on the couch with a blanket draped over me. Pulling the material up over my cold arms, I sighed. Everything is so complicated right now. On top of graduating and choosing a college, Minami picks now to tease me about Alan so much? Especially right in front of him. The thought still mortified me, so I groaned and buried my self under the blanket.

"What did Minami do to you?" Mei asked, from the direction of the piano. How long has he been sitting there? Doesn't he take breaks?

My cheeks grew hot at the question. If I tell him the truth, then he'll know that I like Alan. I chewed on my lip. How do I decide what to tell him? Turning on my stomach, I ran my hand along the fabric of the rug. Minami does a lot to mess with me, so anything should work, but Mei knows when I'm lying…

"Does it have to do with Alan? I saw the two of you leave the hotel together."

My breath caught my throat. He must know…

Mei was quiet for moment, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, he sighed and said, "Come here, Kaede." He patted empty space on the piano bench beside him.

I could just ignore him. That wouldn't solve any of my issues, but at least I wouldn't have to talk about it. He called my name a second time. Reluctantly, I rolled off the couch, untangling my legs from the blanket. Sinking down on the bench beside him, I rubbed my eyes from the bright light that was now in front of my face.

"Play a song with me," Mei said, opening up an old piano book. It had simple duet songs in it, and he'd bought it for me ages ago when someone suggested he teach me how to play. It hadn't gone over well, since my skill set wasn't in the musical department.

Not that I have any skill sets.

"Huh?" My reaction brought a soft smile to his face. "Why?" As far as I'd seen, Mei hated to play with others because no one could play like he could. And I _definitely_ couldn't play like he did. Sure, I knew the keys and could probably play a few notes without completely butchering the song, but it's been years since I touched a piano.

Mei went silent, simply starting to play the song that was open on the music stand. The familiar melody filled the room. It was a popular song a few years ago that required a partner, and it had been the only duet song that I had successfully played without messing up. "Kaede, just play." Mei said, nudging me with his elbow.

Lifting my hands to hover over the keys, it took a few times for my fingers to remember which keys to play in this song, but I did get it. And for a moment, nothing filled my head except the melody of the song. It was calming, in a way.

When the song ended, Mei closed the book and looked over at me. "You're under a lot of pressure right now, aren't you? Graduating soon, choosing a college to go to, and having dad pushing what he wants onto you."

"Jokes on him, because I'm not smart enough to do anything business related," I said and laughed a little. That's the only thing I have over him. Dad can want me to do business and learn to run a hotel, but I'd fail within the first semester. I sighed. "Everyone expects for me to be like the rest of you, but what if I'm just normal?"

Rei, Toma, Chiaki, and Minami all have their businesses. Shizuka is a model. Mei is a concert pianist. That leaves me… the one who barely scrapes by to make the cut for all A's. The one who has no clear path to her future.

"You aren't normal, Kaede. You're a Kira, and that means you have the resources to be whatever you want. The decision is yours in the end," Mei said and patted my head. He stood from the bench and closed the lid over the keys. "It's late. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

With a nod, I had no response for what he'd said. "Thanks for letting me hide out from Minami." Those were the only words I could say. Giving Rachmaninoff a few pets before I headed for the door, I couldn't wrap my head around that. It's never been my choice. Dad makes every decision. He made me go to this specific prep school, which is probably why I have such hard time at it. It's made for the rich and the talented, and I'm only one of those by default.

"Don't let Minami push you around, Kaede. If you don't like it, tell him. You should stand up for yourself instead of running away," Mei commented as I opened the door.

I laughed at that. "Like that'll stop him. He's like a cockroach, impossible to kill."

Returning to my own suite, I sighed at the quiet in the room. The clock read past midnight, but I'd wasted so much time that I needed to sit down and study more. We have a big test tomorrow and if I fail this one, I might not graduate. Though, at this point, maybe it would be good to stay another year in high school. It would put off making a decision about college for another year.

But that wouldn't make it any easier.

My butt hurt from sitting the chair at the table for so long. At least I'd changed into my comfortable sweatpants and tank top to be comfy. Sitting on the couch would make it easy to flip on the tv and procrastinate so I had to isolate myself at the table. My chin rested on my palm and my head bobbed with tiredness. When the door opened unexpectedly, I nearly fell out of the chair.

Toma sighed at my state. "I should be glad that you're studying so hard, but it's nearly three in the morning, and I can hear your music in the lounge." He had crossed the room and turned the Bluetooth speakers off before I could move.

At this point, it felt like my body was glued to this chair. "Sorry," I muttered, dropping my gaze down to the calculus book in front of me. All the numbers and letters had started to blur together into nonsense. The book was flipped closed, making me sigh in relief.

"Go to bed, Kaede, and don't be late to school tomorrow," Toma said, packing away my books into my school bag. This had been a familiar sight. Toma was always taking care of me. While custody wise, my dad was the one on the paper, there had been some guardianship thing that allowed Toma to act as my legal guardian since dad was "busy" and away on work.

Unwilling to move, I laid my head on the table. "I'll just sleep here."

"You will not," Toma chastised and grabbed my arm to make me get up.

I groaned but let him pull me out of the seat. All my muscles ached. My brain felt like mush with all the calculus problems that I'd been working on. Following behind him into my bedroom, I collapsed on the bed after he'd pulled the sheets back. Snuggled up under the warm covers, I let my eyes slide closed. "Thanks, Toma," I mumbled, sleep already winning out.

Toma flipped the light out and sat on the edge of the bed. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Kaede. You're still too young be to be treated like an adult." He stayed there beside me for a while.

Toma was more like my dad than my older brother sometimes. Some of the workers here would whisper about how tough he could be on his employees, and that his personality was cold. But, I didn't see that in him. Toma worked hard and wanted everyone to always do their best. Growing up with an absent father and a mother who wasn't really ours was hard. Toma had been the one to raised me, really, and I knew he loved me, even if he didn't say it often.

"I don't know what to do," I whispered, half-asleep.

He laughed softly and petted my head. "That's okay, Kaede. It's alright not to know right now."

That's what I needed to hear. What to do about college. What to do about my future. How to deal with my feelings for Alan. Those words coming from Toma meant a lot to me. Falling into a comfortable sleep, everything seemed okay for the moment. Maybe things weren't as bad as I thought they were. Worrying about it all once wasn't the answer. And, doing it all on my own wasn't going to solve any of the problems. I should focus on school this next few days and this weekend, find someone to talk to about my worries about my future.


End file.
